Packing or shipping box.



E. C. POTTER.

PACKING 0R SHIPPING BOX. APPLICATION FILED 050.14. 1914.

1 1 58,715 Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

EARL C. POTTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SEFTON MANUFACTURING- COMPANY, OF ANDERSON, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

PACKING OR SHIPPING BOX.

Specification of Letters l'atent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1915.

Application filed December 14, 1914. Serial No. 877,021.

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, EARL 0. Forum, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chlcago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Packing or Shipping Boxes, of whi h the following is a specification.

vMy invention relates to boxes made of paper board preferably but not necessarily of double-faced corrugated paper board and also preferably of the collapsible type.

The object of my invention is to provide a box with simple and efiicient means for locking the parts of the box together as an instance of assembling the same after the contents have been introduced and the box closed. In the present instance the locking means is also made use of in part as a carryin handle.

In the drawings, Figure 1 1s a perspective of my box in closed condition; F1g. 2 a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 but on a larger scale and Fig. 3 a perspective of the strip forming the lock and handle.

Whilemy inventionvmay be embodied in a packing or shipping box used for any purpose, I have chosen to illustrate the same as embodied in an egg box used more particularly for the transportation of fancy eggs wherein some eflicient ticularly desirable.

' The box comprises outer and inner shells telescoping into each other to form a closed box when assembled. Any suitable materialmay be employed for these shells but in practice and as herein shown I employ double-faced corrugated paper board. The outer shell 1 is composed of four walls and is open-ended to receive'the other shell 2 which is also composed of four walls and is open at top and bottom. This inner shell is of course of a 'size to slide into the outer shell. In the resent instance the inner shell is'provided with a bottom 3 with two opposite vertical *flaps 3 fitting against the two opposite end walls of the inner shell. Also for the purposes *ofan egg box the usual partitions 4 are placed within the inner shell and upon the bottom 3. It is evident that the particular construction of this inner shell is immaterial, the construction described being that used preferably for an egg box. The flaps 2) extend the full height between the top and bottom walls of the locking means is parouter shell but the partitions 4 fall short to a slight extent for a purpose hereinafter explained. Of course, as will be obvious the partitions 4 may be entirely dispensed with according to the nature of the goods to be introduced.

The locking device comprises a strip 5 preferably of double-faced corrugated paper board which is substantially of the same width as the box and whose intermediate portion is raised and creased together, thereby forming two end flaps and the raised central portion having a longitudinal transverse slot in order that such raised portion may serve as a handle 5. This raised portion is adapted to be passed through a transverse slot 1 in the top wall of the outer shell leaving the two flaps of the locking strip within such outer shell.

In practice the inner shell is first filled with the contents and is then slid into the outer shell which at such times has the locking strip in position. The inner shell is inserted between the bottom of the outer shell and the underside of the adjacent flap of the locking strip, that is to say this flap will be between the top edge of the inner shell and the top wall of the outer shell. The inner shell is then slid into the outer shell to full extent whereupon both flaps of the locking strip will drop downwardly as to their outer ends below the top plane of the top edge of the inner shell. As a result the inner shell is locked within the outer shell in automatic manner and as an incident to the act of assembling the two parts of the box. As described the raised intermediate portion of the locking strip by which such strip is held in position on the outer shell, also serves as a carrying handle.

A box made as above described is simple and eflicient in construction and very easily operated. Moreover, the locking is automatic and the box cannot be opened without destroying the box structure withthe result that the box cannot be opened and other goods substituted without detection. In opening the box after being thus locked either shell may be cut or the tape 6 which holds the outer free ends of the outer shell together may be out. When my box is made as shown of paper board the same may be readily collapsed to economize space in shipment as well as during storage.

If desired one or more staples 7 may be inengage the ends of the inner serted through the tape and a side and bottom of the box, in the present instance there being two staples shown passing through the tape and through a side and the bottom of the box. These staples may be used as a matter of precaution to prevent the removal of the tape without detection of the fact. In other words, these staples act as a safeguard against tampering with the box.

I claim:

1. A packing or shipping box comprising an outer shell open at two opposite sides, an inner four-sided shell slidable transversely thereinto, and a locking device consisting of a strip secured at its intermediate portion to the outer shell and arranged to have its oppositely extending free ends longitudinally shell to prevent sliding movement in either direction when the shells are in closed condition.

2. A packing or shipping box comprising an outer shell open at two opposite sides, an inner four-sided shell slidable transversely thereinto, a locking device consisting of a strip secured at its intermediate portion to the outer shell and arranged to have its oppositely extending free ends 10 'itudinally engage the ends of the inner shell to prevent sliding movement in either direction when the shells are in closed condition, and partition members within said inner shell of less height than such shell.

3. A packing or shipping box comprising an outer shell open at two opposite sides, an inner four-sided shell slidable transversely thereinto, and a locking device consisting of a strip secured at its intermediate portion to the outer shell and arranged to have its oppositely extending free ends longitudinally engage the ends of the inner shell to prevent sliding movement in either direction when the shells are in closed condition, the top of the outer shell having a slot through which the strip extends to form a handle.

4. A packing or shipping box comprising an outer shell open at two opposite sides, an inner four-sided shell slidable transversely thereinto, and a locking device consisting of a strip transversely bent to form an intermediate raised portion having a hand opening and forming a handle, and two oppo- .sitely extending end flaps whose outer free ends longitudinally engage the ends of the inner shell to prevent sliding movement in either direction when the shells are in closed condition, the top of the outer shell having a transverse slot through which said raised portion extends.

C. POTTER. 

